As they moved to the training ground, the knights pouted.
"Why is the lord always in such a rush?"
"We could take things a little slower, you know."
"Ugh, I don't think my body has fully recovered yet."
"Oh, everything hurts so much!"
A few knights grumbled and exaggerated their pain, but Ghislain ignored them as he continued toward the training ground. He didn't need to intervene; Gillian was already behind them, glaring menacingly and pushing them along.
When the knights arrived at the training ground, they looked puzzled.
There were dozens of platforms, each about the height of a person, but they couldn't figure out what kind of training these were meant for.
Sensing their curiosity, Ghislain climbed onto the central platform and announced:
"We'll begin fall technique training now."
The knights looked even more confused.
They already knew a fall technique or two. While they hadn't mastered mana cultivation, most of them were former mercenaries who had spent their lives fighting.
The knights chuckled and spoke up:
"We already know how to fall properly!"
"Come on, don't underestimate us."
"We've all got the basics covered, lord."
But Ghislain shook his head and said:
"What I'm about to teach you is something you must learn and practice thoroughly. Stop talking and follow along."
Without further explanation, Ghislain jumped off the platform and demonstrated.
He landed on one arm and shoulder, rolling his body immediately to absorb the impact—a type of lateral fall technique.
The knights laughed as they watched.
"Come on, we're knights who can use mana now. Why would we need such a clumsy move?"
"Yeah, that looks pretty lame. I can't think of a situation where we'd need that."
"A knight rolling around on the ground like that… it's embarrassing."
"Couldn't you teach us something more elegant? Surely there are better lateral fall techniques out there."
Now that they were knights and could use mana, many of them had developed an air of arrogance. They wanted to carry themselves with style, and this awkward technique didn't align with their inflated self-image.
While it looked ridiculous, they also doubted they'd ever need such a basic technique.
Unfazed by their resistance, Ghislain said calmly:
"Techniques that save your life rarely look impressive. Efficiency comes first. Just try it once."
The move itself wasn't particularly difficult, so the knights mimicked it without much trouble.
The platforms were only about the height of a person, so there wasn't much risk involved. They thought it was just some basic warm-up exercise and practiced casually.
Ghislain walked around, observing their forms. When he noticed someone executing the move incorrectly, he stepped in to correct them.
Since they were already experienced in physical movements and familiar with other fall techniques, they quickly adapted to this new method.
"Good. Everyone's picking it up fast."
At Ghislain's remark, the knights burst into laughter. To them, this was beginner-level training.
"Lord, this can't even be called training. Since when does training take less than a day?"
"Ah, our lord must have been bored. Why didn't you just say so?"
"Should we celebrate with a drink later?"
Most of them were former mercenaries, so their casual, insolent demeanor didn't fade even after becoming knights.
When Gillian frowned and tried to step in, Ghislain waved him off with a smile.
"Let it be. They can celebrate later. For now, keep practicing until you've mastered it. You'll need it often."
The knights, confused, asked:
"How would we need this often? This fall technique puts a lot of strain on the arm. Couldn't you teach us a different posture?"
Fall techniques come in many forms since the direction and posture of a fall in combat are unpredictable.
But the one Ghislain taught seemed less effective than others.
Ghislain shook his head and replied:
"This is the only one I'll teach. If you prefer others, use those."
They didn't understand why he insisted on this seemingly inferior technique or why he refused to teach alternatives. But they didn't argue further, assuming this was just a light exercise to aid recovery.
Quickly mastering the technique, they casually rolled off the platforms, even treating it as a game.
Watching this, Ghislain turned to his assistants and instructed:
"Raise the platforms a bit higher."
The assistants, seemingly prepared in advance, added wooden extensions to the platforms.
Though the platforms were now taller, they still weren't intimidating. The knights executed their falls without much difficulty.
Some even found the added height more thrilling.
Sensing their enjoyment, Ghislain said again:
"Raise them a little more."
"Once more."
"Higher."
"Just go ahead and make it really tall."
At some point, the platforms were so high that the knights had to use mana to cushion their falls.
They stared nervously at the towering platforms.
Initially, they climbed up easily, using handholds or short ladders. But now they needed long ladders just to reach the top.
For an ordinary person without mana, falling from such heights would mean broken limbs at best.
"...."
Questions swirled in their minds.
Why was it necessary to fall from such heights? Did fall techniques even matter at this point?
When no one moved, Ghislain urged them:
"What are you doing? Keep training. Why are you just standing there?"
One knight hesitantly asked:
"Um… Lord, this seems like a height where fall techniques won't make much of a difference."
"What are you talking about? You all can use mana now. This is still safe."
"If protecting ourselves with mana is the focus, then isn't the fall technique itself… kind of unnecessary?"
"You need it to survive. Focus your mana on the arm and shoulder that hit the ground first. This will also help you practice channeling mana to specific body parts."
A perceptive knight cautiously asked:
"So… is that why you're only teaching this one fall technique…?"
Ghislain nodded approvingly.
"At extreme heights, other techniques are useless. But with this one, you'll only break one arm and still be able to get up and fight."
As always, Gordon, who couldn't hold back when something felt unjust, stood up and shouted:
"Why do we even need this kind of training? It's not like we're fighting giants or anything!"
"It's not for combat."
"Then what's it for?"
"It's for jumping off or falling from walls."
"...."
Walls are meant for defense, not for jumping off of.
Fall techniques aside, jumping off a wall usually meant getting surrounded and killed.
The knights assumed Ghislain thought they could all emulate his reckless leaps from walls in past battles.
"Do we really have to do this? When would we even need to fall from high places?"
Ghislain nodded firmly as if the answer was obvious.
"You never know what might happen in battle. This training prepares you for the unexpected. If you want to improve your odds of survival, it's better to practice now."
"Ugh…"
Unable to refute his logic, the knights reluctantly climbed the platforms. Their faces turned pale with dread.
Gone were the smiles they had when the training first started.
If they made a mistake, it wouldn't just be their arm—other parts of their body might get crushed too.
Cries of pain echoed across the training ground.
"Aaaah! Someone catch me!"
"This hurts way too much!"
"We're just beginner knights, you know!"
Even with mana, the beginner-level knights couldn't handle such heights without suffering.
And because their cultivation method caused them to cough up blood when they used too much mana, they had to conserve it, only activating it moments before hitting the ground.
While their mana control improved quickly, their bodies and minds grew increasingly exhausted.
"Ugh, my arm's turning purple."
"Does this training even work? Or is the lord just planning to push us all off a wall someday?"
The knights groaned as they continued training. Many of their arms were already bruised black and blue. Those who botched the fall had their whole bodies battered.
Fortunately, this was a controlled environment, and Ghislain adjusted the height to minimize serious injuries. For now, they only ended up bruised.
After days of relentless practice, the knights finally mastered the "break only one arm and survive" technique.
But it wasn't over yet.
"We'll move on to the next stage of training. Something closer to real combat."
"What?"
Ghislain led the knights to a platform so tall it resembled the walls of the royal capital, Cardinia, rather than an ordinary fortress.
Staring at the towering structure, the knights were convinced:
At their current level, falling from this height would mean certain death.
Unsurprisingly, there was an immediate outcry.
"Lord! Falling from here will kill us, no matter the technique!"
"We'll all just die!!"
"What could you possibly be unhappy about now?!"
Ghislain reassured them with a calm smile:
"Don't worry. I'm not asking you to jump straight down. We'll provide ropes. Your task is to practice descending quickly."
"Oh, I see."
The knights relaxed slightly. Using ropes to scale walls was common and essential training. No one doubted Ghislain's intentions.
Ghislain set up a long, sturdy rope and let it hang down from the platform.
"Alright, one at a time. Descend quickly."
The knights had done this several times before on the walls of Fenris. The only difference was that there were no footholds this time, and the height was intimidating.
The first knight climbed the rope and began descending quickly—not because he was confident but because he wanted to get it over with.
Partway down, the knight froze, sweating profusely.
'The rope… it's too short? Why is it so short? This isn't supposed to happen!'
The rope stopped far above the ground, leaving a significant gap. Panicked, the knight climbed back up, shouting:
"Lord! The rope is too short! Something's wrong!"
Ghislain's voice called down from above.
"There's no problem. That's intentional. When you reach the end, jump and use the fall technique I taught you."
Legend says lions throw their cubs off cliffs to make them strong. But no knight aspired to become a lion.
"No! How can I jump from here?! What's the point of this training?!"
"It's necessary. Oh? Are you climbing back up instead of jumping?"
Before the knight could react, Ghislain swiftly drew his sword.
With a sharp swing, he severed the rope.
The knight plummeted, screaming:
"Aaaaaah! This is so unfair!"
Despite his protests, the knight instinctively assumed the fall position. The grueling training had ingrained it into his body.
Faced with life-or-death situations, their reflexes and techniques had become second nature.
Channeling all his mana into his arm, the knight braced for impact.
The moment he hit the ground, he rolled to dissipate the force.
BOOOOM!
"Gah!"
The knight groaned in agony but managed to survive.
Ghislain's words had been accurate. The technique worked. It wasn't glamorous, but it saved lives.
While his arm wasn't broken, the impact left him coughing blood. It was clear that more mana and refined technique would be needed to mitigate such falls entirely.
Ghislain looked up at the remaining knights and smiled.
"See? It works. Next."
Tears streaming down their faces, the knights grabbed the rope one by one and descended.
Being a knight in this bizarre territory…. really wasn't worth it.
And so began yet another grueling, blood-spitting round of training.
[T/L: Please support me and read 90 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]